This is a plain and simple rant post. If you are a hardcore fan boy of any of the big three software, steer away and find something more constructive to read!

I'm sure if you have tried to do some productivity work on an ipad, you will know its limitations. I am an occasional user of Apple ipad or iphone. I thought these are toys for the tech-deprived mass public. Even android does better than offering a glorified MP3 player with no file system or connectivity to PC. Even with this much dislike, I still have to think of a reality in which I bought an ipad for my mom, because Micro$oft is discontinuing its MSN messenger and directing any remaining users to their skype. No offense to this particular program but merging msn into skype has been the biggest M$ screw-up since releasing vista. Oops, forgot win 8. I'm sure for every other M$ home PC operating system, there is one good one if you have been following the 98-me-xp-vista-7-8 pattern. Every other home PC OS they released in the past decade or two was bad. Now after a forced merge of my msn and skype account, I end up with two name on my wife or other contacts' view. If I log on as my original skype account, I only see original skype contacts and my name was displayed right. If I want to see my msn contacts, I have to log on with M$ account that I use for msn and hotmail. I see my msn contacts but can't video/voice chat with them or send files to them. Also my name is displayed as the msn account name but account info is the original skype account. I always appear as two persons both logged in but only one is actually logged in and receiving any message.

Now my wife, who didn't have any skype account, was forced to upgrade msn and ended up with a bigger mess than I thought due to using win 8. Win 8, if you have not used it yet, is closely mimicking whatever others have been doing so you have to have an M$ account like Apple account or Google account to use your laptop. She did that. Now her skype metro app, which she never used, is logging her in every time she uses her computer. She installed desktop skype and it freezes when trying to log in, since the metro app is already taking the loo (toilet?). She ran the msn messenger and got force upgraded to desktop skype and her account splits into dual personality. I see two of her on my skype account that I log in using M$ account. One is always offline even after she uninstalled that blasted app and succeeded in running the desktop version. It's just too confusing, after my mom and parents in law got the upgrade. There is no telling how many copies of them are online.

So, I'm considering an ipad for everyone so we rid this M$ problem, and let me deal with it alone since I still have business contacts on skype. Good job Gates! You saved Jobs from rolling in his grave! AAPL will not crash any more. Two of you are real friends! LOL

how many apple computers have you owned throughout time? Cause microsoft fidgeting with free services seems like a drop in the ocean compared to the unholy bullspit I have learned to expect from apple over the decades.

I have one of the samsung galaxy tablets.. And two friends have ipads.

All I can say is that after using both, the samsung android device is my preference. I honestly only use the desktop PC for applications which simply don't run on a tablet these days.. All the web and things like that are via tablet.. like right now.

Considering the price points of an apple tablet, a tablet PC with Win8, or an Android tablet (I have rooted mine and may convert to linux)...if I were buying, I would go Android. Personal preference only of course.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has this habit of trying to continue support for every product they have ever made, rather then telling people tough luck, like Apple. This results in the unholy mess you are now stuck with.

how many apple computers have you owned throughout time? Cause microsoft fidgeting with free services seems like a drop in the ocean compared to the unholy bullspit I have learned to expect from apple over the decades.

I only had (my dad) apple ][. I used some macs but I don't need anything that only runs on a Mac so I surely prefer a PC. I'm aware that apple is not charity so I know what to expect but microsoft really surprised me with this messenger skype merger. Very much execution without thoroughness. I think some tech people prefer mac so I suspect Mac OS is powerful enough for tech people but not iOS. The face time on iOS is free with the device. Not much need to choose which webcam to use or what driver to fiddle with so I'll stick to it for family connection. I suspect I'll fiddle with Linux a bit more from now on. I used to just sell my old computers when I get new ones, about every 3 years on an average. This time I am finding myself hanging on to my 3 year laptop although it's crappy brand and runs vista. I upgraded my wife's system to a new win 8 system and she is not very happy with it. Her win 7 office computer is easier to use. For a 12 year old kid having first computer for school work, win 8 is ok. For someone that has used windows since 3.1 it's backwards, regardless how brilliant its memory engine or other management system or virus protection is.

For a 12 year old kid having first computer for school work, win 8 is ok.

yea one might think so, but then you hear stuff like

Quote

My ten year old daughter was in tears because she couldn't figure out her new windows 8 laptop.

its a shame really, apple, microsoft and an entire legion of nix nerds have spend decades trying to make the PC where anyone can use it, once they get it there, they go and do stupid crap like windows 8, gnome 3, kde4, unity or in apple's case, deliberately screw you over (just hope the samsung contract is not over within the next year, then apple will switch architectures... again making your expensive shiny computer into a doorstop overnight)

I have one of the samsung galaxy tablets.. And two friends have ipads.

All I can say is that after using both, the samsung android device is my preference. I honestly only use the desktop PC for applications which simply don't run on a tablet these days.. All the web and things like that are via tablet.. like right now.

Considering the price points of an apple tablet, a tablet PC with Win8, or an Android tablet (I have rooted mine and may convert to linux)...if I were buying, I would go Android. Personal preference only of course.

I just got a galaxy s iii phone. It's good. I think android definitely has the low-end tablet users by the balls. ipads have its huge momentum that can only be stopped by others coming up with better stuff at lower price for a number of years. iOS has got itself into a corner already. It started as late Jobs' pet project ipod so it will never become that tablet you work and entertain with. Windows tablet had that opportunity with its vast software selection but MS blew it on win 7 tablet (I literally hated win 7 tablets after playing with a few in MS store for 10 minutes). It could have blamed that failure on the shortsightedness of its win 7 developers but it did it again with win 8, only worse by trying to make an OS for both touch and non-touch. I might consider win 8 tablet when it's cheap as android tablet. Why should they be expensive anyway?!

Mine is the tablet that Apple sued Samsung over.. and I have to say, the comparable Apple product is twice the money, first off. My wife actually got the tablet for free, but would have cost about $399 as I understood.. 16GB, wifi version. Samsung has done a great job with bells and whistles, and it's as fast at web browsing and skype as my desktop.

After owning mine, I then had time with an ipad. I think the best way to put it is to say that there was nothing I couldn't do on the droid that could be done on the ipad, but because of certain particular apps like RFO BASIC (write in BASIC and compile to app on device, full desktop integration and jar compilation on PC... And it's free!!) I prefer the android device. If I were buying, I certainly would like to have more to spend on other things than pay more for the same thing..

Here is one thing I don't know if galaxy tablet can do: syncing photos among several samsung devices. The kies air software that came with my galaxy s iii is pretty weak. I think it is on their back burner. Ipad and iphone with the same account can automatically sync captured images with photo stream, each keeping their own photos and both see all captured photos in the stream folder. But there are so many android brands and each has brand specific things that others don't have. There might be something I missed but if I have two android tabs/phones, I don't know how to get a photo stream feature between them. Last time I tried the samsung win 8 tablet, its camera response was below par. My s iii is good but not as good as iphone 5. The retina screen is also pretty good. Apple has some good hardware. If only they would offer them at good price,...

I recently got a Google Nexus 10. What a sweet machine! It has a beautiful screen. My youngest daughter said she wished she had one instead of her "fondlepad" (iPad), and she is so Apple she probably has the company logo on her unmentionables.